In a continuing effort to improve the quality of shipping fruits, we, the inventors, typically hybridize a large number of peach, nectarine, plum, apricot, and cherry seedlings each year. We also grow a smaller number of open pollinated seeds of each of these fruits, usually to capture recessive traits. The present invention relates to a new and distinct variety of peach tree, which has been denominated varietally as ‘Red Princess II’.
In 2007 we made a first generation hybridization using ‘Ivory Duchess’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,282) peach as the selected seed parent and ‘May Princess’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,771) peach as the selected pollen parent. Upon reaching maturity the fruit of this hybridization was gathered, and the seeds were removed, cracked, stratified, germinated, and grown as seedlings on their own root in our greenhouse facility. Upon reaching dormancy we transplanted them to a cultivated area of our experimental orchard located near Le Grand, Calif., in Merced County (San Joaquin Valley). During the fruit evaluation season of 2011 we selected the present variety as a single tree from the group of seedlings described above. Subsequent to origination of the present variety of peach tree, we asexually reproduced it by budding and grafting in the experimental orchard described above, and such reproduction of plant and fruit characteristics were true to the original tree in all respects. The reproduction of the variety included the use of ‘Nemaguard’ (unpatented) rootstock upon which the present variety was compatible and true to type.
The present variety is similar to its seed parent, ‘Ivory Duchess’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,282) peach, by being self-fertile and by producing peaches that are mostly red in skin color, that are clingstone in type, that are large in size, and that ripen in the early season, but is quite distinguished from it by having reniform instead of globose leaf glands, by requiring less chilling hours, and by producing fruit that is yellow instead of white in flesh color, that is oblate instead of globose in shape, and that is non-melting instead of melting in texture.
The present variety is similar to its pollen parent, ‘May Princess’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 18,771) peach, by being self-fertile, by having a showy blossom, by blooming in the early season, by being fairly low in chilling requirement, by having reniform glands, and by producing peaches that are mostly red in skin color, yellow in flesh color, clingstone in type, oblate in shape, and non-melting in texture, but is quite distinguished from it by being only moderately vigorous and by producing fruit that is larger in size and that ripens about seventeen days later.
The present variety is most similar to ‘Spring Princess’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 17,750) peach by being self-fertile, by having a low chilling requirement, by having a large blossom, by blooming in the early season and by producing peaches that are mostly red in skin color, yellow in flesh color, oblate in shape, clingstone in type, large in size, and very good in flavor, but is distinguished therefrom by having a smaller and less vigorous tree, by having reniform instead of globose glands, and by producing fruit that is non-melting instead of melting in texture, that has a bitter instead of sweet kernel, and that ripens about five days later.